Pull Me Back
by Greaserthings
Summary: Darry starts to fall for a lower class girl that's his type, a girl that can handle herself if needed. She's a real looker too, but theres an issue. She's already dating someone. And that someone is a no good hood. Rewrite of "Riding the Bullet"
1. Chapter 1

Rhonda got out of her brother's car and walked with him to the main doors on a Monday morning. Over the weekend she hadn't done much, just catch up with her homework and read. Her brothers, like usual, had spent most of the weekend in the garage with her father, going over different methods to get her car running again.

She went to her locker and opened it, putting her books into her bag when someone wrapped their arms around her from behind. She grinned when she saw her boyfriend, hood extraordinaire, David Carlson.

"Hey baby doll." He said, kissing her neck.

"Hey, how was your weekend?" Rhonda asked, closing her locker and locking it.

"Alright. Had a rumble 'gainst the Sheppard Gang, but we came out on top like usual." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, steering her to his locker on the other end of the hallway.

"But you're not even scratched." Rhonda said, raising her eyebrow with a playful glint in them.

"I know, I'm just that good." He winked and kissed her roughly, before opening his locker and grabbing his water bottle and throwing it into his ragged and old back pack. Rhonda stayed against his side, but watched as a few of her brother's friends goofed around and talked about football. She'd always had a thing for one friend, named Darrel Curtis, but he was out of her league, not to mention her brother's friend.

Darrel looked over at her and smiled, before seeing one of his friends flirting with a soc, and he let out a howl before laughing with his other friends and closing his locker as well. David walked with Rhonda to the cafeteria since there was still time for them to hang out before classes had begun, so she sat beside him and listened to his gang talk.

"Damn man, that broad that came down on me yesterday night, mm." One of the gang members said, and the other guys began to chuckle.

"Oh yeah? How long? Ten, fifteen minutes?" Another asked, and the first one grinned,

"Half hour." Rhonda swallowed hard and pretended to look at something that was in her nails.

"Damn man, but you'll never last as long as me and Rhonda," David said grinning, leaning to put his arm over Rhonda's shoulders, "An hour." His guys howled and high fived each other.

Second period that day, Rhonda walked into her senior biology class. She sat in the middle of the class room, beside a lower class girl named Lori Jackson. David sat beside the captain of the football team, Darrel Curtis. From what she heard he got high marks on most of his tests while David failed most of them. He said often that the only reason he took this class was for Rhonda.

Half way through the class the teacher told the class to get into pairs to work on the review package he had given out. As David was making his way over to Rhonda's desk the teacher quickly changed his mind.

"For this review package I'll assign partners, maybe that way you can help each other." As he started reading down the list, he mixed most socs with greasers.

"I want Jack Clark with Lori Jackson, and Darrel Curtis with Rhonda Johnson," The teacher said, and Rhonda picked up her pens and text book, making her way over to Darrel's desk.

"So, I've already worked through the first page, but I think that we could maybe split the package up and-" Darrel cut Rhonda off when he held up his package, which already had scribbles all over it. "Oh... You're already finished?" Darrel nodded and Rhonda nodded, sitting down and beginning to work.

"So, what're you getting in this class?" He asked and Rhonda smiles,

"Well... Currently I'm getting a ninety two." She said quietly and he grinned,

"Wow. I'm only getting an eighty six." Rhonda smiled,

"Yes, but your also captain of the football team. All I do is sit at home and study." She sad smiling,

"Well, I'm sure your boyfriend keeps you busy enough," Darrel said, testing the waters. Rhonda shrugged,

"No, he only wants to go out when he's not busy fighting or running around town like he doesn't have a care in the world... Playing cops and robbers." She said with a grin on her face. Darrel looked at her with a raised eyebrow before chuckling when he realized he was only joking.

"Do you hang out with your brothers then?" Darrel asked and she nodded,

"Yeah sometimes, but most of the time they're in the garage with the car trying to fix it. Matt is a mechanic and Timothy is in school to be a doctor, however they both know a car inside and out. My dad was a mechanic, an old school mechanic so he knows a lot."

"Oh yeah? How about Daniel?"

"Well... He knows the basics, how to change a tire, how to boost a battery and what not. Danny was never really interested in cars like my other brothers. He preferred to stay inside and watch football, or drive up to my grandma's ranch and ride the horses." Daniel was Rhonda's twin brother and often the two of them would hang out more like best friends then siblings.

"Who got him into horses?" Darrel asked, getting generally interested now; cars were never his strong suit but he did enjoy horses.

"My eldest sister. She dropped out to be in the rodeo circuit full time." Rhonda said, before starting on the homework again. Darrel sat quietly and watched her as she worked on it, taking in the small things she did while she concentrated, like furrow her eyebrows or bite her lip.

At the end of class they quickly took up the answers to the package before students packed up and went on their way to their next classes. Rhonda caught up with her best friend Cheryl on their way to her locker,

"Hey Ronnie," Cheryl said grinning. Rhonda grinned and nodded at her, unlocking her locker and getting her English books out,

"How was culinary?" She asked and Cheryl shrugged, and the two walked to English together.


	2. Chapter 2

Rhonda got home from school around two thirty and her mother was outside in the backyard, having a glass of lemonade while she tanned by the pool.

"Hello Ronnie!" She called, moving her sunglasses off her face to wave at her only daughter. Rhonda smiled and walked over to her mother, sitting on the end of her chair, "How was school sweetheart?"

"It was alright, I just have to study my biology notes for my test, and read some more poems that Mrs. Henderson assigned to us." Her mother nodded and put her glasses back on her face, sipping at her lemonade.

Sometimes being the only girl in the family bothered Rhonda, since she was always compared to her mother. Her mother had dirty blond hair, a slim physic, and the perfect attitude. Mrs. Johnson was the perfect house wife, always had dinner on the table for her husband at six o'clock sharp, and she always looked perfect for him. Rhonda's mother, Carol, was a pure bred soc. Her father was a wealthy brain surgeon, and her mother was also a house wife. Rhonda's father was from the lower class side of town, and he was a mechanic, thus causing her mother to move of the neighborhood she grew up in to settle in a lower class part of town. However, her father had been pinching pennies and working overtime to afford to get her mother a pool in the backyard.

Rhonda, however, looked nothing like her mother. She had straight dark brown hair that she preferred to wear clipped back so it wasn't in her face, had green eyes like her father, and her father's sturdy physic. Rhonda kept active in her swimming pool and did some activities at the Y, but she wasn't an all-round athlete. She had an appetite on her that could put other girls to shame and her mother always bothered her about it.

"Could you do me a favor sweetheart? Could you take my corvette and get me some gas?" She asked and Rhonda nodded, going into the house to get changed out of her school clothes and into something more comfortable since the temperature outside was excruciatingly hot for September.

She decided to change into a summer dress that she hadn't worn since her first date with David, with a pair of flats with ribbon on the toes, and she grabbed her mother's keys before she drove to the DX gas station.

Lately at the gas station there was two young boys that volunteered to pump gas and help out the other mechanic's fix the cars. When Rhonda pulled up to the gas station she saw Darrel sitting on the tailgate of a truck, with a boy that looked similar to him, a boy with swirly black hair, and a girl with long brown hair. She smiled and waved, letting a boy pump gas for her, biting her lip nervously while she watched Darrel look at her before waving back. She took her purse from the corvette, thanking the attendant for the gas, walking into the station to pay. She recognized one of David's friends at the cash and he shook his head, winking, "It's alright. David's already got you covered. He's in the back." Rhonda nodded and smiled, walking into the shop to see her boyfriend leaning against a work bench while there was two of his gang members working on it.

"What's wrong with it?" She asked, moving into his arms.

"They redid the breaks. Gotta bleed them, then you and me can have a little alone time," He said, pulling her close and kissing her rather passionately. She rested a hand on his cheek and let him kiss her, before she heard a loud and obnoxious gagging sound and she pulled away laughing, laughing.

"Well I haveta go... I think my mom is waiting for me." She said, kissing him again quickly and she began walking out of the shop before she turned around and smiled,

"Thanks for the gas." He winked at her and she went out to the car, starting it, and she went to the end of the driveway and waited for a chance to make her turn, looking to see Darrel watching her.

She drove home and started on her homework while her mom made dinner, each of her brothers arriving one by one close to every half hour. Her twin, Daniel, stayed late at school to help other artists paint a mural on the staircase walls. He smiled at her, paint on his hands and numerous splatters covering his white shirt. Despite being different genders, Daniel and Rhonda looked identical, same face shape and identical facial features. He had his hair longer than his brothers, yet he didn't grease it like most of his friends.

"How was your day?" He asked, and she shrugged,

"Alright. Nothing special happened. How was painting?" Daniel's girlfriend Jacqueline (and one of Rhonda's friends) was also helping out the paint, she would do most of the detailing of the painting when it was done. Daniel shrugged, checking over his shoulder to make sure their mother wasn't listening,

"It ended a little early today..." He said and Rhonda grinned, instantly understanding what his brother was implying. Although Daniel tried his best to keep him clean of hickey's, Rhonda knew he left many on Jacqueline. Their parents tended to get a little over protective and annoying when they saw hickey's which resulted in Rhonda having t cover hers up with makeup, and Daniel do the best he can to hide it with sweaters.

"Alright, Daniel go and get changed for dinner. Rhonda honey, can you set the table?" Her mother asked, her hair pulled back into a braid and an apron on over top of her dress. Rhonda nodded, packing up her homework and moving it over to the counter by the back door. Rhonda put out six plates, along with utensils and cups, getting out her parent's bottle of wine and orange juice for her siblings.

The front door opened and her dad walked in, grease practically covering him from head to toe. Mrs. Johnson scurried off to help him take off his coat and kiss him hello, before leading him into the kitchen.

"Hey daddy," Rhonda smiled, hugging her dad tight. She sat at the table across from her brothers as her mother placed the food on the table and everyone dug in. Later that night (since it was a Friday) Daniel and Rhonda went to a party that someone from school was having.

"Hey guys!" David said, nodding at Rhonda and Daniel, wrapping his arm around Rhonda's waist.

"Hey David," Rhonda said, leaning up to kiss him. A few minutes later David went off to go and get them both a beer and Rhonda slipped into the bathroom to look over her makeup. When she got into the bathroom however, she noticed a pre-teen boy in the bathtub, fully clothed and reading a novel.

"Hi," She said, bending down so she was kneeling next to him, "What's your name?" She asked and the boy blushed,

"Ponyboy Curtis, miss." He said and Rhonda smiled,

"Well what are you doing in the bathtub, Ponyboy?"

"My brother Darry is having a party and these people went into my room and told me to get out!" He said angrily and Rhonda could only imagine what was going on in the little kid's room. Then she realized his last name was Curtis, the same as Darrel's.

"Where are your parents? Who's your brother?" She asked and he looked up at her suspiciously,

"They went to Oklahoma City for their anniversary and my brother's name is Darrel Shaynne Curtis!" He said and Rhonda sighed,

"Well... I'll go and talk to your brother okay? I'll see if he can kick the people out of your room." Rhonda said, standing up, "Did you want me to lock the door on my way out?" Ponyboy nodded and Rhonda walked out, locking the door behind her.

She grinned when she saw Jacqueline beside her brother,

"Hey Jackie!" She said and Jacqueline grinned, moving to hug Rhonda,

"How are you?" Rhonda and Jackie talked for a few minutes before Rhonda saw Darrel walk by. She excused herself and followed him into the kitchen,

"Hey Darrel, your little brother Ponyboy is hiding in the tub... He said some people kicked him out of his bedroom and locked the door behind them." Darrel sighed and nodded,

"Okay thanks Rhonda." Darrel went grabbed the master key out of his parents' bedroom and unlocked Pony's door, banging it against the wall loudly so the couple that was having relations in his baby brother's bed would stop. But what he saw next made him furious.

David was on top of another girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Rhonda wouldn't be one of those girls. She couldn't let herself break down in front of all these people from her school. If her mother had taught her anything, it was to keep strong even when it seemed too hard. So, swallowing the lump in her throat and taking a deep breath, she walked out of the house. She knew that Danny would get a ride with Jacqueline, so she dug the keys out of her purse and quickly unlocked the door to the Corvette.

She heard the screen door slam open and glanced quickly to see David there, his flannel shirt not buttoned and his hair scattered in all different directions. Seeing him astray in such a fashion broke her heart. She thought they were official. Exclusive.

"Ronnie wait!" He called, running down the porch and stopping her before she could get in her car.

"Leave me alone." She said softly, opening her door again.

"Babe, that was a mistake!" He tried and she shook her head.

"No David... It wasn't a mistake. You..." A small crowd started forming on the porch and by the door so she got into the Corvette. She started it, missed the first shift but she managed to get it going and she made it home.

David walked back into the party, and grabbed a beer before lighting a smoke, the girl from his hook up walking over and attaching herself to his arm. Danny glared from across the small room and Jacqueline placed her hand on his chest,

"Dan... You can't fight him here. This is someone's home... If you fight him, things will get ruined and broken. Get some of your football buddies and throw him out, but wait to fight him until you're not tired and somewhere things can't be broken." She said softly into Danny's ear and he sighed, wrapping one of his arms around her waist. It wasn't very long after that Darry began kicking everyone out, probably angry that people were starting to damage things.

However Daniel and Jacqueline stayed behind, and offered to help Darry clean up.

"Thanks a lot guys... I really appreciate it." Darry said, once the house was clean. Jacqueline offered to change the sheets on Ponyboy's bed while the boys picked up the empty beer cans and bottles that had been left around.

"I'm real sorry for what happened to Rhonda... She's probably a wreck." Darry said quietly and Danny sighed, nodding,

"Yeah. I think we knew it would come to this eventually." Danny said quietly, "I just wish there was someone out there that was better for her. I mean... David's in the mind set he's the greatest criminal that's walked this earth. My whole family doesn't like him but we put up with him for Ronnie... You know?" Darry nodded,

"Yeah... it's nice of you guys to support her even though he's an asshole. My parent's put up with a couple of ditzy girls I've brought home but none of them stuck. I want a good girl that my family loves to have around, you know?" Danny nodded,

"It's like that for me and Jackie. My family loves having her around and Ronnie is close friends with her. Jackie's family is great... They usually let me stay with Jackie at night if her mom's working the night at the hospital and her dad is on call for the whole night." Jackie's father was a firefighter who worked part time and volunteered often at the house- due to budget cuts many of the firefighters lost their jobs and houses were short on men.

Darry nodded and saw his parents car pulled up and silently thanked who ever was watching out for him that he kicked people out when he had and Danny and Jackie stayed behind to help clean. He had already given Ponyboy enough chocolate to last him a month to keep quiet about the party and Sodapop had no idea. Danny greeted the Curtis parents, he had meet them on occasion after a football game, introduced Jackie to them and not too long after they were on their way.

Later that night when Darry's parents were in bed, the guilt was too much for him to handle, so he walked into their room quietly. His father was asleep but his mother was still awake and reading one of her favourites- Gone with the Wind.

"Ma?" Darry said quietly, rubbing his hands together nervously. She looked up at her son and smiled, putting her book down and patting the spot beside her. Darry sat down and looked at her nervously,

"Mom... When you and dad go away for the night... Or the weekend... Sometimes I have some parties." Darry looked down at his hands, waiting for his mother's scolding. However, it never came.

"We know, honey." She said softly, rubbing his cheek.

"You do?" Darry asked, looking up at his mother. She was the only woman that had ever mattered to him in his entire life, and the thought of her being disappointed in him upset him.

"Yes Dar... The house is always much cleaner than it was before we left and we can usually tell when you've been drinking. And Ponyboy can't keep a secret, no matter how much chocolate you pay him with." Darry had to smile at that, Ponyboy had always been a mama's boy.

"So... You're not mad?"

"No, of course not. You're responsible and we trust you. And, you had the courage to come clean. Okay?" She leaned over and kissed her eldest son's head, before turning off her light and sending her eldest to bed.

When Rhonda got home she couldn't hold back her tears. She sat in her driveway and rested her head on the steering wheel and let her tears flow. It wasn't very long before her mother came out of the house and opened the door, taking her daughter into her arms. Assuming the worst had finally come true, she just sat in the driveway consoling her daughter.

Even though David was not her first choice of boyfriend for her only daughter, he still loved her and made her happy. That's all that she wanted for her daughter. It broke her heart that her daughter had to feel this pain- she was only seventeen. She still had so much life ahead of her, she made good grades and Carol hoped that she would move to the upper class one day, not spend her time worrying if her children would make it home alive when they walked to the convenience store.

She looked up when her husband walked out, and he kneeled beside her before picking Rhonda up, carrying her into her bedroom. Her brothers jumped up and looked at their mother once they saw the state their baby sister was in,

"What the hell happened?" Matt exclaimed, a fire blazing in his eyes Carol hadn't seen since his teenage years.

"David... I'm guessing David broke up with her?" Carol guessed and Timothy looked over at his brother. As they silently communicated, Carol knew better than to stop her son's in their need to protect their baby sister. Hell, even though Carol's parents thought she was raised better, Carol wanted her sons to make David pay for the heart break her daughter was going through. She walked into her daughter's room and hugged her tightly when Rhonda moved into her arms. Carol kissed Rhonda's forehead and wiped her tears,

"Shh sweetheart..." She soothed, "I know it hurts. But one day your prince charming is going to find you. And you'll forget all about David. Okay?"

"B-but-" Rhonda asked, a sob interrupting her thoughts, "W-What if David is my p-prince charming?"

"Ronnie," Paul, Rhonda's father said, taking his daughter's chin in his hand and moving her head so she was looking at him, "If David was your prince charming, he wouldn't be causing you this much pain. He'd do whatever it took to keep you as his woman. He'd treat you like his princess, not go around and give out details of your personal life or do whatever he has done to cause you this much heart ache. Okay?" He asked and she nodded, sniffling. Both of Rhonda's parents knew that this would be a long road of recovery, but since both of them had faced heart break before they met each other, they both had high hopes that one day soon, Rhonda's prince charming would find his way into her life.

Later that night when Daniel arrived home, his brothers were no longer home. His parents were sitting in the living room wrapped in each other's arms and watching a late night drama on the television. Upon Daniel walking into the living room, both looked up, hoping Daniel could give them a reason why David broke Rhonda's heart.

"We... We were at Darrel Curtis's house... He had a small party. I guess at some point he made it to the bedroom with some blond chick... And well... You know what happens next. Darrel found them and he exposed it to everyone... I guess so he wouldn't get away with screwing around behind Rhonda's back." Daniel said softly, and his father sighed,

"Well she's asleep now but this weekend is going to be a mess." Daniel nodded and motioned to the bag he carried in,

"Me and Jackie went to the store and picked up a few things... A couple of chocolates and some ice cream. Jackie suggested we try and slowly take away David's things so that she doesn't hold on." Carol nodded, rubbing her husband's arm.

She excused herself and went to check on Rhonda. She watched as her only baby girl slept soundly; her hair stuck to where some of her tears dried. She always hoped that Rhonda wouldn't have to go through this pain, that maybe, deep down under all of his walls of pain, emotional and mental trauma, David would turn out to be a nice guy. That David would turn out to be the one that Rhonda spent the rest of her life with, had children with, and grew old with. He wasn't their first choice, but they were sure there was worse men out there for her daughter. She rubbed her daughters back, before gently tucking her under the covers and turning off the light. Carol kissed her daughter's forehead,

"I love you, sweetheart. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."


	4. Chapter 4

When Monday finally rolled around Ronnie was feeling better, but it was only a small improvement. She felt horrible for giving him everything that she had and she wished she could take it back. Her mother had tried to talk her out of going to school today since she had many classes with David.

However her father had taught her a lesson- he knew that she felt like crap, and that her heart was broken, but what would help David feel the same affect was if she went to school and showed everyone that even though she was upset and hurt, she was able to function and show David that he didn't have as big of an effect on her.

He dropped her off second period, letting his baby girl skip first so she wouldn't have to see David first thing.

"If you need me to come get you, just call my work and I'll be over as fast as I can okay?"

She nodded and hugged him, trying her best not to cry.

"Thanks Daddy," She whispered and he kissed her head,

"Stick it to him baby girl. Show him what he lost, show everyone that it didn't affect you that much, and it'll rattle David." She nodded and walked out, signing in with a note from her dad and going to her locker to get her English books.

Cheryl was waiting there with Jackie, and Cheryl took her hand once she reached the locker,

"Are you alright?" She asked, then noticed her friends chin wobble, "Don't answer that hun. You will be okay, you got that?"

Rhonda nodded and got her books, taking a shaky breath, "Did you get the poem analysis done?"

Cheryl rolled her eyes, "You really think I even attempted that?"

Ronnie cracked a smile. Cheryl lived further east then she did and often skipped homework assigned by teachers since her brother's gang was always at her house.

"Fair enough," She said quietly, following her friend to English.

While in there she noticed David wasn't in his seat and she sighed in relief.

"I've got forms for everyone to drop this course. Most of you need it," She said, looking towards Cheryl and a couple other students, before glancing at Darrel as well. Ronnie went a little wide eyed at the idea of him failing a class, he was captain of the football team after all.

After class her teacher told her to wait outside and she could briefly hear the conversation between the teacher and Darrel,

"Your grades are slipping, and I'm afraid if you don't get an eighty on this test and the essay you'll be put on academic probation Darrel. I would hate to see you get held back and ruin your chances at a scholarship but..." She heard a deep sigh,

"I'm sorry Miss, there's just a lot going on at home right now..."

"I know, I've spoken with your parents. Which is why I've done a little research and found you a tutor with the same study period as you."

"Ma'am I don't have the money-"

"Nonsense. She needs it for her university application. Rhonda, can you come in here?"

Rhonda entered the classroom holding her binder to her chest, "Yes?"

"I know you were looking for someone to tutor to help you with your application, and frankly Darrel needs your help desperately." She noticed Darrel go red and saw his jaw tense,

"I'm sure he isn't that far off Miss," She assured her teacher before smiling at Darrel. He smiled back in return, and the teacher smiled,

"Done. If you want your scholarship you'd better listen and take notes of everything that she says." She said looking at Darrel before walking out,

"I appreciate this..."

"Don't mention it." She said, "I'll see you at study hall."

"What was that all about?"Cheryl asked when her friend joined her at the cafeteria table.

"One of the students needs a tutor." She laughed, and Rhonda sighed,

"Kids need to accept that they're dumb and move on with it." She said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Cheryl you're not dumb." Rhonda stated, knowing her friend was rather smart when she put her mind to it.

"Yeah yeah, save the speech Rhonda." She rolled her eyes and went with her friend towards the cafeteria.

Jackie and Danny were sitting with their usual friend group and Rhonda smiled, most of their friends were lower class.

"Hey guys," Rhonda said, sliding on the bench across from her brother and close friend.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Jackie asked and Rhonda sighed and shrugged,

"I've tried to keep from thinking about it to be honest..."

"Honestly Ronnie, we're just waiting for the word and we'll beat the shit outta him." One of her close friends, Charles- or Charlie- said. Charlie, among the other guys in her friend group were in their own gang but tended to stay away from the little gang turf wars that David was a part of. Charlie was part of one of the biggest gangs in Tulsa, a gang that at one point her brother was in as well. Matt still had some ties to the gang but got out once he got married. Timothy stayed away from gangs but he always helped fix up some of the gang members should the need arise.

"It's alright... I don't need a war started because I was too dumb to realize that he'd cheat eventually."

"Hey," James said, Charlie's best friend, "David ain't a man. He'll never be a fucking man if he keeps fucking around with women. You got me, Ronnnie? You gotta find a man who's mama raised him right and taught him how to treat a woman, not who's mama ran out on him."

The rest of the boys nodded and Jackie grinned, "I've found my man." Everyone rolled their eyes and groaned as the two shared a kiss but regardless Rhonda smiled, happy her twin and best friend were happy and in love.


	5. Chapter 5

When study hall rolled around Rhonda hadn't seen David at all and she was thankful. She was worried that he would get angry with her for breaking up with _him_ in front of everyone at the party. She wondered if he was even at school, but when she saw Darry sitting there looking at his English paper uncomfortably any thoughts of David escaped her mind.

"Is that your essay?" She asked and he nodded,

"I don't really know where I went wrong. I thought I did real good on this one." He said, placing it on the desk.

"Is it okay if I read it over?"

He nodded and Rhonda set to reading, before looking at Darry,

"Well, the only issue is that your thesis isn't strong enough. Do you... Do you like law class?"

Darry nodded eagerly and she smiled, "Well when you're making a case, you need to have a strong case right?" He nodded again, "Well it's the same for essay writing. Your thesis needs a reason it's there. A solid reason. So instead of saying that Jay Gatsby died unhappily, you could say that he died in an unhappy state even though he was living the American Dream.

"By stating it this way, it gives you that _so what_ factor. That is what makes an essay good. Anyone can write an essay, but without that so what factor, it won't work."

Darry nodded and scribbled it down on his notebook, and he looked at her,

"Is... Is it okay if I take that thesis?" She laughed lightly and Darry's face fell.

"Oh... you were serious about that?" She asked and his face broke into a grin,

"I'm just kidding. I'll work on coming up with a new one." Following his statement he began working immediately. Rhonda pulled her essay out to finish some last second revisions and grammar checks while he did so.

After a while Darry glanced at Rhonda and noticed her looking around trying not to cry.

"Hey... We can uh.. We can cut this short if you want..." He said softly and she shook her head,

"Just... Give me a minute." She said softly, sniffling and taking a wavering breath. Darry nodded and watched as she looked at the roof, taking deep breaths.

"It's... It's okay to cry you know... I mean... He broke your heart. People will understand that."

"It's not that..." She took a deep breath, "It's that... He cheated on me... Broke every promise... I just... Feel so violated and I feel like I wasted my time on him... You know?"

"I understand that... It's not fair to you."

"I'll get over him eventually... I just... I loved him. And this... This is how I'm repaid."

"I know it's hard, but it'll get better. I promise."

She nodded and he grinned, changing the subject, "Are you coming to the game tonight? Danny's going to be the star player."

Rhonda rolled her eyes, "Yes I'll be there with the rest of my family. We haven't missed one of his games."

"Fair enough." He said nodding, "My family is coming too."

"Well obviously, you're the captain aren't you?"

He rose his eyebrow and smirked, "Touché."

"Now stop distracting me. You need this." Darry nodded again and went back to work.

"You have last period with me don't you?" He asked, just before the bell rang. Rhonda nodded and he picked his books up, "There's an open seat beside me if you need it."

"Thank you," She said, before she walked out of the study hall.

At last period Rhonda thanked her lucky stars that David didn't show up. However her luck ran out rather quickly when David strolled in five minutes late and sat beside Rhonda. She went rigid when he placed his arm around her shoulder. Darry noticed the change in posture and went stiff, swallowing hard. He tried to think of a way to help her out, but part of him wondered why he even cared.

_Because she's an innocent girl that needs your help idiot. _

Fair enough. When the teacher told them to pair up he watched fear cross her face before he stood up,

"Hey Ronnie, wanna work together?"

Rhonda nodded and quickly got out of her seat, grabbing her bag and going to the seat beside Darry.

"Thank you," She said quietly when they sat down and he smiled,

"I'll do the front two pages if you want to do the last two?" Rhonda nodded and got straight to work. After class Rhonda waited to speak with her teacher,

"Excuse me sir, I was just wondering if I could move to the empty seat beside Darrel Curtis?"

"I placed you in the seat you were in after you bothered me for a week to be moved beside David."

"I... I know sir, but I just... We broke up and I can't sit beside him anymore."

He sighed and wiped his forehead, "Unless you're concerned for your safety I will not move you Rhonda."

"Mr. Nelson I am, I'm scared he'll try and touch me."

The man sighed and nodded, "Fine. Starting tomorrow you'll sit beside Darrel but don't expect another seating plan after this one." She nodded thankfully and went to her locker.

At the game, Rhonda and her family sat close to where the team bench was, Jackie and Cheryl seated beside Rhonda to cheer Danny on.

Helen, Matt's wife, sat beside Matt holding their six month old daughter Rose. Helen was a nice woman, and when the family got together to have dinner, Rhonda and Helen usually would talk with one another, and Rhonda was glad that her brother had chosen Helen to marry and start a family.

His previous girlfriend was a piece of work, Francine was a trashy woman that loved Matt for the fact that he was making decent money at his father's shop. She and Matt had dated for almost three years. He broke up with her and met Helen later that day and they were engaged three months later. The end of the game came quickly and Darry scored the winning touchdown. His family jumped up first, and Rhonda grinned as she watched his family jump up and start cheering and almost two seconds after the crowd followed. The team started cheering and she sat down, watching the team celebrate and she watched as three different scouts made their way towards Darry. She realized, looking at his parents, that he needed the scholarship, and she'd do whatever she had to so Darry could stay on the team and get a scholarship.


	6. Chapter 6

That night everyone was in high spirits as they went to greet Daniel. He was standing with Darry once they were done getting changed talking with his family.

"Ma, Pops, this is Darry- our captain." Danny said clapping Darry's shoulder. Darry grinned and smiled at Rhonda,

"These are my parents," Darry said and his father smiled, reaching to shake her own father's hand.

"Darrel Curtis, this is my wife Linda and my sons Sodapop and Ponyboy." Rhonda's dad smiled,

"Can't say I've heard those names before." Linda smiled kindly and Rhonda's mother looked at the two boys,

"Well at least they'll never have to worry about having the same name as someone else. There were three Mathew's in Matt's graduating class." Ponyboy grinned,

"There's another Michael in my class! That's my middle name!"

The group began walking to the car and Sodapop talked to Matt about his Stingray once they reached the parking lot. Mr. Johnson smiled as he watched Sodapop talk to Matt about his engine,

"Darrel, if Sodapop would like he could come by my shop sometime and learn a couple things about being a mechanic. Clearly he's a gear head."

Sodapop grinned, "Really! That would be so tuff! Dad can I please?"

Darry walked over to Rhonda and smiled,

"He's really into cars."

Rhonda laughed, "I can tell. I'm pretty sure he's the spitting image of Matt when he was that age. All Matt wanted to do was work at Dad's shop, even to the point he almost dropped out. Mom and Dad talked him into staying in but as soon as he got out he started learning how to run the business."

"That's amazing." Darry said and Rhonda smiled,

"What are you going to get into?"

Darry shrugged, "I was thinking of becoming a teacher. A math teacher, I mean, I absolutely love math. And then for my minor I was thinking physical education,"

"Well, you've got the physical education part down. I haven't had you in math class though."

"I'm taking calculus, I took the other maths before senior year so I could get my marks up and focus on trying to get a scholarship. What about you? What did you want to major in?"

Rhonda smiled, "Teaching as well, but I want to be a kindergarten teacher. I love working with little kids, they're so full of life and imagination and... I want to be there for them when they start to learn the world is a horrible place."

"Wow... That's amazing." Darry said softly and Rhonda smiled,

"It's not really that amazing... It's a really easy program to get into because no one wants to work with little kids."

Darry grinned, "I remember when I thought my little brothers were brats."

"But you love them?"

"Nah, they're not so bad now." Rhonda smiled and Mrs. Curtis looked over,

"Darry we should really get going. Your brothers need to get to bed."

Darry nodded and smiled at Rhonda, "I'll see you tomorrow at school." Rhonda nodded and her two best friends and Helen watched as Rhonda walked over.

"You've got the hots for him, Rhonda." Helen said winking,

Rhonda just shook her head and got into the car. Her mother said goodbye to Rhonda's two friends who were riding home in a separate car. Danny kissed his mother's cheek before going with his girlfriend to her car, and by the end of the goodbyes it was just Rhonda and her parents in the car.

Rhonda sat with her head against the window, overcome with heart ache when she remembered the games that David used to bring her to, the nights they would spend in each other's arms in her bedroom when her parents had no idea.

Everyone had seen and gotten to know David's hard side, the side he would show when around others he didn't know well. When he was with Rhonda he had treated her like a queen, bought (or stole) nice things, always gave her little notes that helped her work through her body image issues.

Now she felt like it was all a joke to get her to bed. She hated herself for giving into him and giving herself up that fast, she was only a senior for the Love of Pete. She got out of the car quietly when they got home and went straight to her mom, and her mother followed her in after a few minutes and sat beside her daughter, rubbing her back.

"I know... I know you regret doing those things Rhonda... But don't begin to regret everything with David. He broke your heart but you also fell in love with him and believe it or not, he fell in love with you too. I know it's hard now sweetheart but one day you'll be able to look back and learn something from this. You're my everything darling, my entire world. Seeing you hurt is breaking my heart and I wish you didn't have to go through this pain."

Rhonda sniffled and hugged her mom tightly. Her mother held her until she was sleeping, before tucking her in and going to her own room for the night.

* * *

Darry sat on the porch with his dad, looking out over the neighborhood he grew up in.

"You played great tonight Darry," His dad said. Darry felt his heart swell with pride. These were the moments he lived for, these one on one conversations with his dad, "You had a couple scouts writing down your information... You gotta keep up the hard work bud. If you get a scholarship you can get out of this neighborhood... Raise your kids in a nice area."

"This area ain't too bad dad." He said, leaning back on the porch swing,

"That's because you aren't in a gang yet Darrel."

"Mom would rip my head off." Darrel Senior had to laugh at that. His wife surely would tear his first born a new one if she learned he'd been wrapped up in any gang activity.

"You're right. She would. But only for good reason Darry. You're a smart kid, you're going places. You and your brothers are."

Darry sighed. He hated when the topic turned towards his brothers. He could still remember when he didn't have to share a room or his things or his parents attention with anyone but himself. If he had to admit it though, it was pretty lonely before his brother's were born. His father made him promise the first time he held each of his brothers that he would always look out for them and he would always be there for each other.

His father went inside after a few minutes and Pony walked out in a pair of Darry's old pajamas's, and he sat on the porch swing beside Darry.

Ponyboy was quiet for a few minutes, he just watched as his big brother as he looked out into their neighborhood,

"Darry?"

Darry looked down, "What?" He sighed seeing his brother flinch at his tone so he wrapped his arm around his baby brother,

"What do you want kiddo?"

"Do you like the girl you were talking to? I thought during the game you were waving at us and looking at us but mom thinks it's because of that girl. Is it true, you like her?" Ponyboy asked, looking up at him with wide grey/green eyes.

Darry smirked, looking back out at the lot, "It's true. I like her a lot."

* * *

**Thank you to everyone for reading and for following/favoriting the story! I really appreciate it!**


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